Tag Archive: politics

I don’t usually like to talk politics, which is ironic in that I live in the Washington, DC, area. I find that these “discussions” often have a lot of heat, but very little light.

But I wonder–Has the world really changed so much since I was back in college? I had close friends I didn’t agree with about politics at all, but we could “agree to disagree.”

With all the recent talk about civility, where did it go?

We’ve reached such a polarized state that if someone disagrees, they’re “wrong.” It’s not that they have another opinion. If another political party wins an election, the end of the world is upon is. When did that happen?

Now the talk is about civility, and yet political figures are still compared to Adolf Hitler and accusations are made without any proof or basis in fact. The answer seems to be, “Everyone knows that’s true!” And I fear that “civility” has turned into a way to make certain points of view simply shut up.

It feels like we’re driving in a fast-moving car that we can’t stop! And the voters are very unhappy with that!

Here’s an article from CNN that talks about a recent poll on this very subject:

>>CNN Poll: Those who say things going poorly higher than 1994 or 2006

By the CNN Wire Staff

November 1, 2010 10:34 a.m. EDT

Washington (CNN) — The number of Americans who say things are going badly in the country, at 75 percent, is higher than it has been on the eve of any midterm election since the question was first asked in the mid-1970s, according to a new national poll.

Here’s a good example, from a story at the NBC affiliate in San Diego:

>>Scientists Find ‘Liberal Gene’

Researchers have determined that genetics could matter when it comes to some adults’ political leanings.

According to scientists at UC San Diego and Harvard University, “ideology is affected not just by social factors, but also by a dopamine receptor gene called DRD4.” That and how many friends you had during high school.

The study was led by UCSD’s James Fowler and focused on 2,000 subjects from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Scientists matched the subjects’ genetic information with “maps” of their social networks. According to researchers, they determined that people “with a specific variant of the DRD4 gene were more likely to be liberal as adults.” However, the, subjects were only more likely to have leanings to the left if they were also socially active during adolescence.

The story below caught my eye for several reasons: 1. The only thing that matters in politics seems to be winning, and whatever it takes to do that is considered “okay” by many, 2. The New York Times actually reported this!, and 3. Is this the “October surprise” everyone has been waiting for? It’s a little longer than the usual article, so please bear with that:

>>Democrats Back Third Party Candidates To Siphon Votes

By Jim Rutenberg

ORLANDO, Fla. — Seeking any advantage in their effort to retain control of Congress, Democrats are working behind the scenes in a number of tight races to bolster long-shot third-party candidates who have platforms at odds with the Democratic agenda but hold the promise of siphoning Republican votes.